Rotary engine



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(Nomaden- A. HBMSATH. ROTARY ENGNE. No. 379,112. vPatentedMar. 6, 1888.

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f A. HEMSA'I'H1 ROTARY ENGINE.

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N. PETERS, Fhudlhwgnpher. Wnhlnginn. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS HEMSATH, OF ZEHNER, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ANDREW JACKSON-ZEGLER, OF HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

4SPIEC'IF'ICJATION forming part .of Letters Patent No. 379.112, datedMarch 6, 1888.

Application filed August 18, 1887. Serial No. 247,255. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

l Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS HEMsATH, a citizen of 'the United States,anda resident of Zehner, in the county of Luzerne and State ofPennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RotaryEngines; and

I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of the'invention,

which will enable others skilled in the art to which 1t appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification, and in whichl Figure l is aperspective view of my new and improved rotary engine. Fig. 2 is acentral vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontalsectional view taken on the plane indicated by line x w of Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a horizontal sectional View taken on the plane indicated byline y yof Fig. 2; and Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are detail views which will behereinafter referred to.

The same numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention relates to rotary engines; and it consists in certain newand useful improvements on the rotary engine for which Letters Patent ofthe United States were granted to me November l0, 1885, N o. 330,324.

My new and improved rotary reversible engine consists in the new andimproved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which willbe hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Referring to the several parts by their nun merals, l indicates thesupporting-frame, in which my new and improved reversible rotary engineis mounted.

My improved engine may be either vertical, horizontal, or stand at anangle on an inclination.

2 indicates the central tubular shaft, ou

formed the radiating wing 5, which at its inner Widest part is aboutonethird as thick through as the diameter of the cylinder of the enginein which it is inclosed, this wing decreasing gradually in width towardits outer narrower end, 6, where it is slightly rounded, to adapt it topush back the spring-actuated sliding plates with the minimum offriction as the cylinder with the said plates is revolved. On 6o eachside of the said radial wing the tubular shaft is formed with the upperseries of steamports, 7 7, and the lower series of exhaustports, 8 8, asshown.

For the purpose of producing a steam-tight packing for the edges of thewing which bear against the inside of the cylinder and against itsheads, the free edges of the wing are formed with the recesses 9, inwhich fit strips or long blocks 10, which are forced outward by the 7osprings 11, which are interposed between the bottoms of the recesses andthe inner sides ofr the blocks, as in my former patent,No. 330,324.

The cylinder 12is provided with three (moreorIess)radiatingchambers,13,0pening through vertical slots 14 in thesides of the cylinder into the interior thereof, the said verticalradiating-chambers being arranged or formed at equal distances from eachother, and theinner sides of the heads of the cylinder have radiatinggrooves 15 formed in them, forming continuations of the chambers 13.Within thesel radiating-chambers 13 lit the sliding plates 16, slidingwith their ends in the guide-grooves 15, and the inner edges ofthesesliding plates fit and bear against the tubular shaft 2 and thesurface of its radial wing 5, being pressed into engagement with it bythe springs 11,

which are seatedin the outer ends of the chambers 13 between the innerlongitudinal edges of the sliding wings and the outer end wall or sideof the said chambers, each of the said springs being formed of a singlestrip or piece of metal (spring metal) bent into theform of a double W,as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings; and it will be seen that the saidplain springs will operate to force the sliding plates out, so that theywill bear steadily against the tubular shaft and its 'radial wing withtheir outer edges.

The live steam from the boiler is introduced, as before stated, into thetop of the tubular shaft 2 through the live-steam port 3. In the centralpart of the tubular shaft 2 is placed the valve-sleeve 18, which isformed with the central partition, 19, and which has the operatingrod20, extending up through an aperture in the cap of the tubular shaft 2,so that by means of a lever or handle on the upper end of the said rodthe said val ve can be turned within the hollow shaft to reverse theengine and to cause it to run in either direction when started, ashereinafter described. This sleevevalve 18, which is open at both ends,with its partition 19 at the center of its tubular length, is placed inthe tubular shaft 2 so as to register in position with the radial wing5, and so that its said central partition comes between the uppersteam-ports and the lower exhaustports of the tubular shaft, as shown.This valve-sleeve 18 has formed in its sides, above its centralpartition, the live-steam ports 21, and below its central partition theexhaustports 22 22, which are arranged, as shown in the drawings,especially in the detail view, Fig. 5, so that when the valve-sleeve isturned by means of the lever or handle applied to the upper end of itsoperating or adjust-ing rod 20 its live-steam ports 2l will' open theinlet or live-steam ports on one side of the tubular shaft 2, and at thesame time close the eX- haust-ports on that side of the tubular shaft,while opening at the same movement the lower exhaust-ports on theopposite side of the tubular shaft 2. lt will thus be seen that by meansof a turn or movement of the lever or handle at the upper end of theadjusting or operating rod 20 the engine can be instantly reversed, andthus caused to run in either direction.

It will be seen that in opera-tion, when the steam is thus admittedthrough the valvesleeve and the inlet-ports on one side of the radialwing of the tubular shaft 2 into the chamber formed between the radialwing ofthe shaft 2 and the sliding plate 16 next to it on that side, thepressure of the steam against the said plate will force or turn thecylinder 12 around in that direction, this pressure being repeated aseach sliding plate passes the outer end ofthe radial wing 5, so that thecylinder is thus continuously and rapidly revolved in either directiondesired,accordi ng as the valvesleeve is adjusted, as will be readilyunderstood. The inner edges of the three slid ing plates 16 always bearand are forced by the. tension of their operating-springs ll against thesurface of the tubular shaft and its radial wing, and as the cylinderrevolves the radial wing pushes each sliding plate back into the chamber13 in which it fits, so that the said plate can pass the outer end ofthe said wing. Both sides of the radial wing 5 are formed with one ormore transverse grooves, 23 23,eX tending to the outer reduced roundedend of the said wing,the function of these grooves being to permit thesteam to pass the edges of the sliding plates 16 rapidly when the saidplates are passing the end of the said wing.

The live steam thus enters into the cylinder through the entry-ports onone side of the upper half of the radial wing, or, rather, of that partof the tubular shaft, and when the cylinder has been revolved around sothat the next sliding plate in order passes the end of the radial wing 5the first sliding plate mentioned will pass the first two oftheexhaust-ports 8 on the opposite side of the tubular shaft 2 from that onwhich the live steam enters, the eX- haust-ports 7 on the same side asthat on which the steam is entering the cylinder having been closed bythe valve-sleeve when it opens the said entry-ports, as beforedescribed; and the said exhaustports, through which the steam is nowexhaustingare so arranged or formed in the tubular shaft 2 that thesteam which was pressing against the first sliding plate is exhaustedbefore the radial wing begins to force or press the said plate back intothe chamber in which it lits,so that it will only require sufficientpower to move back the sliding plates to overcome the tension of theirsprings and their own weight, the heavy pressure of the steam upon thembei ng removed through the exhaust-ports before the wing 5 begins toslidethem back into their chambers, as will be readily understood.

The exhaust opening or port 4 is located in the lower end ofthe tubularshaft 2. which arrangement permits the condensed steam to pass out ofthe engine more readily.

The lower cylinder-head, besides its stuffinghox' 24, is formed with thecollar 25, which bears upon the upper end of the double lower length ofthe tubular shaft 2, and thus forms a bearing which supports therevolving cylinder upon the tubular shaft. Through this collar and thelower cylinderhcad are formed the ports 26, which are arranged betweenthe sliding plates 16, asshown,inclining inwardly as well as downward.Now, it will be seen IOO that as the cylinder is revolved in eitherdirectiou, as above described, as each of the said ports, when thechamber formed by the radial wing and the sliding plate with which itcommunicates is full of live steam, passes over the upper end of a longvertical port or duct, 28, in the double lower part of the shaft 2, thelive steam will exhaust or flow through the registering port 26, throughthe long duct or port 28, to and into the inner end of aconducting-pipe, 29, and the live steam will pass through thisconductingpipe into the chamber or reservoir 30. The live 'steam whichenters through the top of the tubular shaft 2 will thus, after havingoperated (revolved) the cylinder on the said shaft, pass through theports and the conductingpipe into the reservoir 80. The steam from thisreservoir passes through a second conducting-pipe of suitableconstruction, 3l, to a second engine, either rotary or reciprocating,thei eby ruiming the second engine by the expansion of the steam that isconfined between the sliding plates 16 when the said plates are in sucha position that they prevent the steam between them from having anyaction on either IIO side of the radial wing 5 of the tubular shaft 2,thereby running the second engine without any back action on the firstengine. It will thus be seen that I utilize the live steam not only torun (operate) the rst engine, but also to run (operate) a secondengine,which may be of the usual suitable construction', and the preciseconstructionof which forms no part of my invention, and will thereforenot be described in detail.

The reservoir 30 is to keep a supply of steam stored on hand, serving asa reservoir for the live steam to collect in, and prevents the necessityof having the two engines connected-so thatv their ports would open andKclose at the same time. Thereservoir is provided at its bottom with aspigot, 82, to let off the condensed steam orwater, while on its top isarranged a steam-gage, 33, of the usual construction, while theconducting-pipe 3l leads from the-top of the reservoir to the secondengine.

The greatest amountor proportion of steam will be utilized by engine No.2 by having it the same size as the first engine and running at a muchhigher rate of speed. All the steam that is not used by the secondengine will pass out through the lower exhaust-port, 4, of the tubularshaft of t-he first engine. For instance, if there is forty pounds ofpressure on the first engine and the second engine is speeded so thatthe gage on the chamber or reservoir 30 between the two chambers shows apressure of ten pounds, there will be less steam escaping (passing) outof the port 4 of the rst engine than there would be if the second enginewere speeded so that theA gage 33 would indicate twenty pounds or moreof pressnre; hence the higher the rate of speed of the second engine andthe lower the pressure that can be used the greater the amount of steamthat will be utilized by No. 2 engine. The rst engine should be run witha high pressure in proportion and a low rate of speed, while the secondshould be run with a low pressure and a high rate of speed.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction, operation, and advantages of myinvention will be readily understood. It will be seen that 1ny"`new andimproved rotary reversible engine is comparatively simple and strong inconstruction and exceedingly effective and efficient in its operation.It can be reversed in a moment by turning the valvesleeve through itsoperating or adjusting rod; so as to run in either direction, the lowerrecessed end of the valve-sleeve engaging with a stop, 35, which stopsthe valve when turned either way to the desired point to reverse theengine. It will be seen that not only do I run the'first engine ineither direction,as required,

and with the minimum of friction and loss of power, but that I alsoutilize the steam after it has passed out of the cylinder of the firstengine to operate a second engine, thus effecting a vast saving.

A pulley (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2) may be secured to one of theheads of the engine, and the motion thus be transferred from therevolving cylinder to whatever machinery is'desired to be moved, or anyother suitable means of gearing may be employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is

l.v In a rotary reversible engine, the combination of the tubular shafthaving the inletport at its upper end and the exhaust-port at its lowerend, and provided with the central radial tapering wing having theslightlyrounded outer end, and formed with the upper live-steam portsand the lower exhaustopenings on both sides of the said wing, thecylinder journaled with ils heads upon the said shaft and having theequidistant radiating grooves in its heads and the correspondingradiating vertical chambers, the sliding springactnated plates, and theadjustable sleevevalve formed with the central partition, the upperinlet and lower exhaust openings, and having the adjusting-rodprojecting at its upper end through the top cap of the tubular mainshaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the tubular shafthaving the inlet-port at itsupper end and the main exhaust-port at its lower end, having theverticaljport or duct in its lower part, and provided with the centralradial tapering wing having the slightly-rounded outer end and thetransverse side grooves, and formed with the upper live-steam ports. andthe lower exhaustopenings on both sides of the said wing, the cylinderjournaled with its heads upon the said shaft and having the equidistantradiating grooves in its heads and the intermediate inclined ports inits lower head between the said grooves, and having the correspondingradiating vertical chambers, the slidingspringactuated plates, theadjustable valve-sleeve formed with the central partition, theupperinlet and the lower outlet or exhaust openings, and having the adjusting-rod projecting at its upper end through the top cap of thetubular main shaft, the pipe connecting the lower end of the verticalduct in the lower part of the tubular shaft with the reservoir, the saidreservoir, and the pipe connecting the same with a suitable engine,substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a rotary reversible engine, the combination ofthe tubular shafthaving the inletport at its upper end and the exhaust-port at its lowerend, and provided with the central radial tapering wing having theslightlyrounded outer end and the transverse side grooves, and formedwith the upper live-steam ports and the lower exhaust-openings on bothsides of the said wing, the cylinder journaled with its heads upon thesaid shaft and having the equidistant radiating grooves in its heads andthe corresponding radiating vertical chambers, the slidingspring-actuated plates, and

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the adjustable valve-sleeve formed with the own I have hereunto affixedmy signature in Central partition, the upper inlet and lower presence oftwo Witnesses. exhaust openings or ports, and having the adjusting-rodprojecting at its upper endth rough AUGUSTUS HEMSATH VitneSSeS:

C. W. KLINE,

ANDREW J ZIEGL'ER.

5 the top cap of the tubular main shaft, substantially as and for thepurpose herein set forth. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my

